My Horsez - Wiki - Genetics

Wiki » Horses » Genetics

Genetics

In Real Life, horses obtain their coat colour through a combination of certain genes, each of which carries a particular trait. Because genes have different properties, many horses with cool, special colours and/or coat patterns can be found all over the world. On MH, a similar system is used based on Real Life coat colour genetics, but in some cases adjusted to work specifically for the game.

Note: the information given here is an easy version, for easier understanding. In Real Life coat colour genetics, it may work differently than explained here. This explanation instead explains the genetics system used on MH.

Some information in advance

The genotype of a horse consists of a code with the following format: xx/xx/xx. In this code you see 2 slashes behind which there are an additional 2 x's each time. These 2 x's together are called a locus. A locus contains 2 genes (each x), or ‘alleles’ (variants of a gene). And you have 2, because you always carry 2 alleles of the same gene! Those 2 genes are basically the same, they are similar to each other and perform the same function. However, sometimes some small changes (also called mutations) can occur in 1 of the 2 genes (or in both!), and then you get a variant; or an allele. The alleles are then for the most part still equal to each other, but that one small mutation can for instance cause a change in the horse's colour! These alleles are represented by different letters in the x’s code.

Alleles shown in capital letters are dominant. This means that 1 such allele is needed for the colour/dilution to be expressed. Alleles shown in lower case are recessive. This means that 2 of those alleles are needed for the colour/dilution to be expressed. Note that there are alleles consisting of both an uppercase and lowercase letter. Dominance will be indicated in the description in that case.

The base colours

First, the principle of the horse base colours will be explained. On MH, the base colour is caused by the 2 basic alleles a horse can have; 1 coded ‘E’ and 1 coded ‘e’. E is dominant, so it only takes 1 E allele to get a black base colour already. And e is recessive, so it takes 2 e alleles to get a chestnut base colour. There are always 2 alleles on this locus, but they can be the same, or different alleles!


EE or Ee

ee


Agouti - bay

The designation ‘Agouti’ sounds interesting and scientific, but simply put, you can call Agouti the gene for bay. On MH, people regularly talk about a horse having ‘no agouti’, but this statement is incorrect. In fact, a horse always carries the agouti gene (both alleles to be exact), even if the horse is black. So how come the horse is black if it has agouti? This is as follows: in the evolution of the horse, in which its original coat colour used to be bay-based, developments in colour have occurred alongside developments in conformation. One of these developments in colour was the emergence of the recessive allele of agouti: a. Normally, agouti causes black pigment to be pushed towards the extremities of the horse: nose, ear tips, mane, tail and legs. However, the recessive allele a allows black to cover the entire body. Thus, in the presence of 2 a alleles on a black base (EE or Ee), the horse will be black. A chestnut can also have 2 a alleles, but this does not affect the colour chestnut. So, it is the recessive form of Agouti that makes a black horse black.


EE/aa or Ee/aa


In Real Life, there is a different dominance and different naming of the types of bay than what we use on MH, but for this article we will stick to the MH genetics system. On MH, 3 different types of bay occur. The bay alleles that cause these colours are all dominant, but in addition to recessive allele a, they also dominate each other in some cases: dark bay (called allele ‘A’) dominates bay (allele ‘A+’) and seal brown (allele ‘At’). Bay only dominates seal brown and the a allele, and seal brown only dominates the a allele (this recessive a allele is also sometimes called "no agouti").

Now, what about the genes of bay horses on MH?
Bay horses on MH have at least 1 black allele and at least 1 dominant bay allele.

Dark bay
E_/AA (AA = 2x dark bay)
E_/Aa (Aa = 1x dark bay & 1x "no agouti")
E_/AAt (AAt = 1x dark bay & 1x seal brown)
E_/AA+ (AA+ = 1x dark bay & 1x bay)


Dark bay


Bay
E_/A+A+ (A+A+ = 2x bay)
E_/A+a (A+a = 1x bay & 1x "no agouti")
E_/A+At (A+At = 1x bay & 1x seal brown)


Bay


Seal Brown
E_/AtAt (AtAt = 2x seal brown)
E_/Ata (Ata = 1x seal brown & 1x "no agouti")


Seal brown

As you can see, every possible genotype has E_. That low dash indicates that both E and e can be entered there. Because it makes no difference to the coat colour (Ee and EE will both be black), so we will leave that open, as it doesn't matter whether E or e is there. The E already there indicates that the horse has a black base. By the way, for the genes of the three bay colours we have used the gene codes of Wild Bay (A+), Normal Bay and Seal brown (At) to make it clearer.

Dilutions and other colours

Liver

Liver is a gene that does not occur in real life, as liver chestnut is genetically just ee - so just chestnut. Indeed, chestnut can occur in real life in very light shades, but also in very dark shades, sometimes in combination with Sooty (more on this later). Since the liver gene is used on MH to get a liver chestnut horse, this gene will be listed as ‘Lv’ for the sake of explanation. Liver only shows on a chestnut base, but horses of other colours can carry this gene unnoticed. Furthermore, liver is a dominant gene, so when one liver allele is present on a chestnut base, this chestnut-coloured horse will be a liver chestnut. Chestnut (ee/__)* becomes liver chestnut when ee/__/Lv_ is the case. ‘Lv_’ means it can be either nLv or LvLv, i.e. single liver and double liver. Both of these have the same effect on the colour of the horse.


Chestnut

Liver Chestnut

* Note: on the second locus there are 2 horizontal dashes. This means that all agouti genes can be here, as it does not affect the (liver) chestnut colour. Note: dominant gene is first on the locus, then the other gene. Also, no more than 2 alleles per locus!

Cream

The first dilution I will explain is cream. Cream is an incomplete dominant gene, which means that there is a difference in colour in heterozygous and homozygous situations (1x and 2x alleles present). So, it does always express itself, whether the allele is present once or twice. Cream shows on any colour and the code for this allele is "Cr".
When explaining this gene, some genotype codes will have the agouti omitted, here there are 2 horizontal dashes in its place indicating that any agouti allele can and may be there, as it does not affect the colour being explained. Now, certain codes will also use an "n". This code stands for "no mutation present", to put it that way. This indicates that a horse has only 1 mutated allele for a particular colour, see palomino and cremello as an example.

Palomino and cremello
Palomino is a chestnut with 1 cream allele, and cremello is a chestnut with 2x cream. Here you see how the incomplete allele works: palomino is lighter than chestnut, but cremello is even lighter because of the double presence of the allele.

Palomino: ee/__/nCr
Cremello: ee/__/CrCr


Palomino

Cremello

Note: even a liver chestnut becomes a palomino or cremello depending on the number of "Cr" alleles.

Buckskin and perlino
Buckskin is a bay horse with 1 cream allele, and a perlino is a bay horse with 2x cream. Again, the incomplete effect of the gene can be clearly seen, but in addition to this, a difference can be seen in the colour the dilutions have. These differences in colour have to do with the difference in the colour that is diluted. Because for buckskin and perlino, bay is the colour that is diluted, and for palomino and cremello chestnut is the diluted colour, these dilutions differ from each other. Black pigment gets less diluted than red pigment. This can also be seen in the genotypes:

Buckskin: E_/A_/nCr
Perlino: E_/A_/CrCr
Buckskin: E_/A+/nCr
Perlino: E_/A+_/CrCr
Buckskin: E_/At_/nCr
Perlino: E_/At_/CrCr


Buckskin

Perlino


Smoky black and Smoky cream
Smoky black and smoky cream are colours created by diluting the base colour black. A single cream allele being present causes smoky black. Unlike the rest of the dilutions, this colour gives only a very subtle difference: a smoky black shows at most a brownish tint in a few places on the body, or sometimes no difference at all. Smoky cream is caused by the presence of 2x cream on the black base. This colour is somewhat similar to perlino, but is genotypically different.

Smoky black: E_/aa/nCr
Smoky cream: E_/aa/CrCr


Smoky black

Smoky cream


Dun

Besides cream, there are of course other dilutions, including dun. Dun creates a slightly lighter body, a dorsal stripe and zebra stripes on the legs. The head, legs, mane and tail remain somewhat darker in colour. Dun (code D) is a dominant gene which can be expressed on any coat colour, also in combination with multiple dilutions. In addition, it can occur without problems in homozygous form, i.e. twice. It entails no adverse consequences. The only thing to watch out for is that bay dun and buckskin have similar colouring, only bay dun has the dosal stripe and zebra stripes on the legs. Bay dun and dunskin are also hugely similar, but dunskin is lighter!

Grulla (black dun): E_/aa/D_
Red dun (chestnut dun): ee/__/D_
Bay dun: E_/A_/D_


Grulla (black dun)

Red dun (chestnut dun)

Bay dun

Note: Different bay alleles can occur in bay duns. The shade of bay does not affect the shade of bay dun. It is always the same, also in dunskin and perlino dun (this is because it has no influence at all on the dilution cream either).

Silver

Silver is another dilution to occur, and this gene is referred to as "Z". This gene is dominant, so only 1 Z allele is needed for a horse to be silver. However, there is a catch, as silver does not show on chestnut, palomino and cremello variants. However, horses with these colours can carry silver with them and pass it on to their foals. Foals with a black or bay colour (variant) will show silver. Silver changes the colour of the mane to cream/white and the coat varies from chocolate brown, to brown, to (chocolate) brown with dapples. In real life, homozygous silver (2x silver) causes eye problems, but on MH the double allele presence does not affect the horse.

Silver black: E_/aa/Z_
Silver bay: E_/A_/Z_
Silver buckskin: E_/A_/nCr/Z_


Silver black

Silver bay

Silver buckskin

Note: Silver bay and silver buckskin can have different bay alleles. I have just taken the allele for dark bay for convenience, because the shade of bay makes no difference in dilution. This also applies to silver buckskin and silver perlino. As you can see with silver buckskin, cream has an influence on the shade of dilution. Cream also has an influence in black, although the difference between silver black and silver smokey black is much less.

Champagne

Besides the other dilutions, we also have the dilution Champagne. This gene causes a lighter coat and a pink nose. This dominant gene is denoted by "Ch" and there is no difference in single or double presence. Furthermore, this gene shows on all colours and goes well with other dilutions.

Classic Champagne: E_/aa/Ch_
Gold Champagne: ee/__/Ch_
Amber Champagne: E_/A_/Ch_
Sable Champagne: E_/ AtAt/Ch_ or E_/Ata/Ch_


Classic champagne

Gold champagne


Amber champagne

Sable champagne

Note: the diluted colours from left to right: black, chestnut, bay, seal brown. As you can see, seal brown has its own champagne variant, so Sable champagne only occurs if the horse has a Seal brown bay variant that is diluted with the Ch allele. The other 2 bay variants fall under Amber champagne when diluted by Champagne. Furthermore, you will again see the horizontal dashes explained earlier.

Grey

Grey is a gene that causes the lightening of the coat. A grey horse can be born in any colour, but becomes lighter and lighter as it ages: the horse greys out. The allele for grey is denoted by "G". Again, this is a dominant allele, causing the horse to grey out even when 1 grey allele is present. On MH however, this works slightly differently: when one allele is present, it produces dappled grey, and 2 alleles produce a white grey. On MH, foals with grey can also be born in all colours, but when they become 1 year old they grey out, so they become (dapple) grey. Grey shows on all colours. Grey horses can carry dilutions like cream and dun, but because the horse is grey it eventually shows all white. So grey dominates all other colours.

Dapple Grey E_/__/nG or ee/__/nG
Grey: E_/__/GG of ee/__/GG


Dapple Grey

Grey

Note: The bay alleles have all been omitted and no other additional genes have been added to the genotypes in the explanation. This is because "G" completely dominates and the horse ends up white anyway. Based on the horse's colour when it is still a foal, you can possibly infer bay alleles and other genes.

Rose grey

On MH, Rose Grey gives a pinkish brown hue to a grey-coloured horse. Rose Grey is labeled as "Rg" in this article. In RL, the rose grey colour can be seen when a bay horse is greying out, but on MH it is a separate gene. Rose Grey only shows on a horse with a grey allele, so at least one "G" in the genotype. A dapple grey can have 2x rose, but will only show as Rose with dapples. A grey can have 1x rose, and thus show Rose.

Rose dapple grey: __/__/nG/nRg or __/__/nG/RgRg
Rose grey: __/__/GG/RgRg or __/__/GG/nRg


Rose dapple grey

Rose grey

Note: All base and bay alleles have been omitted, and no additional genes have been added to the genotype, as this colour dominates all others given that the horse is greying out (with pink hue only). This does go with all coat varieties.

Fleabitten

Fleabitten, allele "flea" in this explanation, is a pattern visible on only some greys on MH. The gene here is recessive and therefore only shows itself when present twice, and only on a grey horse. The pattern is characterised by small dots scattered over the body that look like little flies, hence the name.

Fleabitten grey: __/__/GG/fleaflea


Fleabitten grey

Note: base alleles and agouti are omitted. It does not matter which base colour the horse has. Fleabitten grey dominates all other colours, but not rose grey. Rose grey dominates over fleabitten, hiding the fleabitten pattern.

Flaxen

Flaxen is a recessive gene which only shows on chestnut. Flaxen is denoted with an "f", so watch out for the lowercase letter! This allele causes somewhat lighter mane and lighter chestnut colour in only homozygous (2x f allele) presence. Because flaxen only shows on chestnut, other colours can carry this allele unnoticed, even in homozygous presence. Palomino and cremello can also carry this allele, but cream is dominant over flaxen, so it does not show. There are two shades in flaxen: flaxen chestnut and flaxen liver chestnut. Because on MH liver chestnut is caused by the Liver gene, for the explanation for Liver (Lv) we refer you to the "Liver" paragraph earlier in this article.

Flaxen chestnut: ee/__/ff
Flaxen liver chestnut: ee/__/Lv_/ff


Flaxen chestnut

Flaxen liver chestnut


Sooty

Sooty is a colour factor that causes dark hairs in the coat. The dark hairs can be minimal to loudly present and all over the body. How does this affect the horse's colour? The horse's colour becomes darker! Example: A chestnut-coloured horse may colour liver chestnut-like or even appear almost black due to the presence of Sooty. Horses with a very dark colour can of course also carry Sooty, but of course a black horse cannot already become darker than it already is, so then you don't see the effect of this allele. So Sooty can express itself in many different ways, but on MH this effect is shown more clearly than in Real Life. For the sake of explanation, we set the Sooty allele as "Sty". Sooty is an incomplete dominant allele, just like cream, which therefore means that Sooty in heterozygous form (1x present) shows lighter than sooty in homozygous (2x present) form.


Sooty flaxen chestnut


Pearl

Pearl is a dilution that causes the horse's coat colour to lighten and appear to have a slightly peachy hue. Pearl ("prl") is a recessive allele, but something special is going on with this allele! Pearl is a recessive allele and thus will only show when present twice. First: this is true. Second: there is another possibility for Pearl to show, which is the presence of 1x cream and 1x pearl (Crprl). In cases with cream and pearl combined, the colour is called pseudo-pearl. The colour manifests as a double dilute colour (cremello for example) but in cases with cream and pearl, the colour shows slightly darker than usual and the coat has a peachy tint.

Pearl: __/__/prlprl
Pseudo-pearl: __/__/nCr/nprl or __/__/CrCr/nprl or __/__/CrCr/prlprl


Pearl

Note: As you can see, both base and agouti genes have been left open. That is, when Pearl has double presence, or ‘Crprl’, on all bases it has an effect. However, keep in mind dominance of the genes left open and differences in colour variants, as explained earlier.

Mushroom

Mushroom is a gene found only in shetland ponies! It is a recessive allele, coded "mu", so it has to be present twice before it has an effect. The mu allele only shows on chestnut and bay horses, because it dilutes the red pigment. So, on black, which has only black pigment and no red, the mu allele cannot dilute anything! The colour Mushroom causes the red hairs to be diluted to a more greyish colour, and the originally red mane to be diluted to a cream or even a white colour. So, any horse that has a bay base with mushroom will show a greyer colour on its body. The horses with a chestnut base will also show a greyish colour and, in addition, lighter mane. If a horse carries the mu allele only once, the colour will not change, but the horse can pass on the mu allele to its foals!

Mushroom: ee/__/mumu or E_/A_/mumu


Chestnut mushroom

Bay mushroom


Palomino mushroom

Buckskin mushroom

White Patterns

Splashed White

We have arrived at the first white pattern coat variant of this article: Splash (Spl). Splash is an allele which, when present 1x in real life, does not directly show. The horse does not have extremely high white markings on the legs and can have a small head marking. However, the horse may have a blue eye. The heterozygous (1 allele) presence of Splash is also known as "Hidden Splash". This is because the horse has splash, but does not show it or hardly shows it (a single blue eye is a possibly characteristic of Hidden Splash). With double presence, however, it is a completely different story; it seems as if the horse has been grabbed by the ears and dipped in white paint. The legs, head and often part of the tail are coloured white. Splash occurs on all colours and can occur in combination with other coat types. On MH, there are 2 types of Splash: type 1 and type 2. Splash 1 is visible when the horse has 1x splash, and type 2 is visible when the horse has 2 splash alleles.

Splash type 1: __/__/nSpl
Splash type 2: __/__/SplSpl


Splash 1

Splash 2

Note: As you can see, in the example, I have left everything blank except the Splash, so it does not matter what coat colour the horse has.
Further: see "Some interesting genotypes" for combinations with other white patterns.

Frame Overo

Another white patterned coat variant also common on MH is Frame, also called "Frame Overo". The code of this allele will also be "Fr" in this explanation. In Real Life, the dominant gene Frame expresses itself in varying amounts: minimal to maximal, but the white spots are always surrounded by the base coat colour ("framed in"). The spine of horses with Frame always remains dark, i.e. never white. Because Frame can express minimally, it is not always clear whether the horse has Frame or not. Double Frame is not possible in RL because of Overo Lethal White Syndrome. Foals with double Frame are born completely white, but die soon after birth. On MH, Frame is also a dominant gene, but double Frame is possible, and the foal will not die. Frame occurs on MH in 2 types: type 1 and type 2. Type 1 is caused by single presence of the gene, and type 2 is caused by double presence.

Type 1: __/__/nFr
Type 2: __/__/FrFr


Frame Overo 1

Frame Overo 2

Note: As you can see, in the example genos I have left everything blank except Frame, so it does not matter what base colour the horse is.
Further: see "Some interesting genotypes" for combinations with other white patterns.

White Spotting - KIT

In my opinion, the KIT gene is an incredibly fun gene that causes many variations (alleles). Because there is a lot of variation, I will make the explanation as concise and clear as possible, because there is a lot to explain. On to the fun bit! KIT consists of multiple alleles that cause (white) patterns. As with any other gene, only 2 alleles on 1 locus are possible, allowing you to make some great combinations when the other coat patterns come into play, but.... which genes fall under KIT? See the list below:

Tobiano

Tobiano is a dominant allele of KIT. This allele is denoted by code "T". Tobiano can be double present without being noticed, because there is no difference in single tobiano or double tobiano genotypes. However, this allele on MH does have multiple types, just like Splash and Frame. But unlike Frame and Splash, Tobiano type 1 can be combined with type 2, causing type 1+2 (and giving you three different tobiano patterns to enjoy!).

Tobiano type 1: __/__/nT1 or __/__/T1T1
Tobiano type 2: __/__/nT2 or __/__/T2T2
Tobiano type 1+2: __/__/T1T2


Tobiano 1

Tobiano 2

Tobiano 1+2


Sabino

Sabino is an incomplete dominant allele of the KIT gene. This allele is referred to by code "Sb". Sabino shows minimally in RL (Sabino1) when 1x present, but when present twice, almost the entire horse can turn white. On MH, however, Sabino is distributed somewhat differently and thereby also divided into different types: Type 1 (Sb1), Type 2 (Sb2) and Type 1+2 (Sb1Sb2). The 2 types can overlap here too, making the white increase.

Sabino type 1: __/__/nSb1 or __/__/Sb1Sb1
Sabino type 2: __/__/nSb2 or __/__/Sb2Sb2
Sabino type 1+2: __/__/Sb1Sb2


Sabino 1

Sabino 2

Sabino 1+2

Note: As you can see, in the example, I have left everything blank except for the KIT genes, so it does not matter what base colour the horse is.
Further: see "Some interesting genotypes" for combinations with other white pattern types.

Dominant white

Another coat variant of KIT is the so-called Dominant White, denoted by code "Dw". Dominant White is a very sneaky factor on MH, given that it shows as the sabino 2 pattern when present 1x. So, it is always a question of whether the horse is sabino or Dominant White. When present twice, the Dw alleles cause the horse to be coloured all white or near white (depending on the breed). This is Dominant White type 2. Furthermore, this white pattern can occur on any coat colour, and completely white horses are also referred to by the colour they are underneath the white (as the white is considered a pattern).

Dominant white 1: __/__/nDw
Dominant white 2: __/__/DwDw


Dominant white 1

Dominant white 2

Note: There are also breeds on MH where Dominant White is "recessive". If the horse has 1x Dw, it will not show the Sabino 2 pattern, but nothing at all! Only if the horse has 2x Dw will the horse turn white. This happens, for example, in the Haflinger and the Icelandic horse.

Roan

Roan (Rn) is also a mutation on the KIT gene. Roan creates white hairs in the coat scattered over the body, but the head, legs, tail and mane remain untouched! Unlike grey, roan horses do not lighten as they age. This pattern shows on all colours and in combination with all other patterns. (Note that with KIT only 2 alleles can be present on 1 horse, so tobiano sabino roan for example is not possible, because that is 3 alleles instead of 2.) Roan is dominant and therefore already shows when 1x roan allele is present.

Roan: __/__/nRn or __/__/RnRn


Roan


Appaloosa Coat Patterns

Appaloosa genetics are a bit more complex, but that is also what makes it very interesting. It is a big interplay of multiple loci and alleles that cause the different appaloosa patterns.

Leopard complex

The first gene required in the recipe to "make" an appaloosa, is Leopard Complex. This gene is denoted by the code Lp. This Lp allele is the basis of the appaloosa patterns, because without this allele no appaloosa patterns are possible! So, the horse must carry the Lp allele at least once to show an appaloosa pattern. However, by itself, Leopard Complex does not cause traditional appaloosa patterns like leopard, but causes Varnish Roan or simply Varnish. This Varnish hardly shows at birth, perhaps a few white hairs in the coat. The horse also has the typical appaloosa features such as visible white of the eye, striped hooves and speckled skin. As the horse ages, it acquires more and more white hairs, until it becomes almost completely white. In this, it seems to work a bit like grey, but on the horse it looks more like a roan pattern. However, it is a completely different gene from the ones causing grey or roan. Furthermore, Leopard Complex is an incomplete dominant allele, so there is a difference in expression between single presence or double presence. This is mainly important for the appaloosa patterns besides Varnish, but we will come back to that in the Pattern genes. On MH, there are 2 types of Varnish: type 1 and type 2. Type 1 shows with single presence of the Lp allele, and type 2 with double presence.

Type 1: __/__/nLp
Type 2: __/__/LpLp

Soon to be added
Varnish 1
Soon to be added
Varnish 2


Pattern 1

Pattern 1, coded Patn1, is a dominant allele located at a different locus from Leopard Complex. So, they are not part of the same gene like the KIT alleles. The only way to get an appaloosa pattern by Pattern 1 is in the presence of both Patn1 and the Leopard Complex allele. It can then produce two types of patterns: Leopard and Few Spot. Here, the importance lies with the Leopard Complex allele and not Pattern 1. So, it does not matter whether Patn1 is present 1x or 2x, but it does matter for Lp. When Lp is present 1x (in combination with Patn1 1x or 2x), it produces the Leopard pattern, and when Lp is present 2x, it produces the Few Spot pattern. So, it is the incomplete dominance of the Lp allele that produces the two patterns, but Pattern 1 must be present to show those two patterns at all. If a Patn1 allele is present but no Lp allele, then Patn1 has no effect and no pattern shows. If Lp is present but not Patn1, the horse will show as Varnish instead.

Leopard: __/__/nLp/nPatn1 or __/__/nLp/Patn1Patn1
Few Spot: __/__/LpLp/nPatn1 or __/__/LpLp/Patn1Patn1

Soon to be added
Leopard
Soon to be added
Few Spot


Pattern 2

Pattern 2 is the other appaloosa pattern gene, coded Patn2. Again, this allele is on a different locus and is therefore inherited separately from both Lp and Patn1. It works the same as Pattern 1, but then produces (again together with Lp present) the patterns Blanket and Snowcap. Blanket shows when 1x Lp is present, and Snowcap shows on double presence of Lp. Pattern 2 is a dominant gene in its own right, so it already shows when 1x present (as long as Lp is also present), but it is recessive to Pattern 1. So, if the horse has both Patn2 and Patn1, the Pattern 1 will dominate over Patn2. So, a horse with the Leopard pattern could have a genotype like this: __/__/nLp/nPatn1/Patn2Patn2. Patn1 is dominant over Patn2, so it shows the Leopard pattern instead of the Blanket pattern.

Blanket: __/__/nLp/nPatn2 or __/__/nLp/Patn2Patn2
Snowcap: __/__/LpLp/nPatn2 or __/__/LpLp/Patn2Patn2

Soon to be added
Blanket
Soon to be added
Snowcap

Some interesting genotypes

Of course, white coat patterns and different dilution genes also appear in combinations, allowing you to develop exceptionally fun and interesting variations. This is possible both in real life and on MH, and in this game everything will be kept as realistic as possible. Especially KIT is quite often misunderstood, but here you will definitely get an insight with the help of some interesting genotypes!

Sabino Tobiano & Splash Sabino

Sabino and tobiano are, as explained earlier, both KIT alleles. On KIT (and every other locus actually) only 2 alleles exist. So, this sabino tobiano chestnut American Saddlebred has the following genotype: ee/__/SbT. "SbT" should be read as Sabino (Sb) and Tobiano (T). As you can see here, the KIT now has 2 alleles, and nothing more can be added. So Sabino Tobiano Roan (3 KIT alleles) is not possible, because a horse only gets 1 KIT allele from its mother and 1 KIT allele from its father, and together those are 2! Splash Sabino is a combination of a non-KIT pattern and a KIT pattern: ee/__/Spl_/Sb_. The horse can have 2x splash and 2x sabino, but that won't make a difference, the pattern shown will also be Splash Sabino (since the alleles are not incomplete dominant). Here you see Sabino Tobiano and Splash Sabino alongside each other. Can you see that Sabino gives the normally tightly drawn spots a jagged edge all over? That is a characteristic of double pattern in which sabino is mixed in!


Sabino tobiano

Splash sabino


Frame Sabino Tobiano & Tobiano Frame Splash

Although 3 KIT alleles together are not possible, it is possible to combine Frame and Splash! Here I show 2 genotypes with 3 alleles on chestnut American Saddlebreds, because these patterns also give you the best insight. The first is the Frame Sabino Tobiano with the genotype as follows: ee/__/nFr/SbT. "Fr" is written seperately from the SbT because the Frame allele is part of a different locus (the Frame locus) than the KIT locus (SbT). And because Sabino and Tobiano are both part of the KIT locus, they are written together as "SbT". The second pattern is Tobiano Frame Splash, and here there is something a little different from the previous two. The genotype for this coat pattern on chestnut is the following: ee/__/nFr/Spl_/nT. Possibly the horse could also have 2x T, so double tobiano, but that makes no difference to what pattern shows on the horse. Now again you have 3 pattern alleles, but as you can see only 1 of the 3 is a KIT allele! Can you add roan or sabino? Yes, as long as there is a vacant spot at the KIT gene! It could then become Tobiano Sabino Frame Splash, for example; ee/__/nFr/nSpl/SbT, 4 colours together!


Frame sabino tobiano

Tobiano frame splash


Tobiano sabino frame splash

Authors

This handy gene explanation was written by Sharkbait and adapted by EmmaVZ.
The piece on appaloosa and mushroom were written by EmmaVZ.

You are currently visiting the website of online horse game My Horsez!

Are you crazy about horses and can't get enough of them? Then you are completely at home here. In this horse game, you can build your own ranch and breed as many horses as you want. If you feel like a competition, you can compete against other horse lovers. Take a look at the horse market where you can buy horses and shop in the rider's shop for the most beautiful bridles, saddles, and blankets for your horses. When you create an account, you immediately get a horse to take care of. You start at the online horse game with a ranch, a mobile home, and three stables, but you can expand that to a beautiful villa with multiple stables. You can fill those stables with the most beautiful horses and foals that you can breed yourself in many different colors with the help of colour genetics. Progress through various levels and unlock all kinds of new areas and cities. The possibilities are endless.

On the forums, the vibrant center of the game, many members are active. Here you can connect with other horse lovers, ask questions, trade with each other, chat, and share experiences.